Rio de Janeiro Olympic vendors struggling to supply fans with food, drinks

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Olympic venues in Rio de Janeiro are struggling to supply enough food and beverages to fans, though officials said supply will soon meet demand.

Rio de Janeiro Olympic organizing committee spokesman Mario Andrada said that some visitors have been allowed to leave venues in order to find food and drink elsewhere. He said additional food and water is being delivered, promising "new food trucks, more efficient water supply, and free water supplies for the public standing in line."

People have been allowed to leave venues during events in the search for food and water "because this eases the pressure" within the venues, Andrada said.

Andrada confirmed the International Olympic Committee had complained about the lack of provisions.

"Harsh words are how partners sometimes work," Andrada said of the IOC's complaint. "Even teammates on the field of play shout at each other sometimes -- it's a heads-up moment and part of life. The issue is how fast you fix these problems and no event of this size will be trouble-free."

Fans have also complained about the long lines to buy food as people have to stand in one line to order a meal and stand in another line to pay for it. Andrada said more workers have been dispatched to ease long lines.

In Brazil, the host nation where the most popular sport is soccer, Olympic organizers did not sell out a capacity crowd for their first match. Pictures of large numbers of empty seats have been used to criticize Olympic officials.

Andrada said that despite initial troubles, more tickets are being sold.

"We wish we could have done this before but we're not complaining, we're looking to the future and we're going to sell more and more," Andrada said.

The Athlete Olympic Village does not seem to be affected by a shortage of provisions.